Kohala Lighthouse Surf Forecast and Surf Report

Alright folks, Rusty here. Let’s be straight with you: this is a rough stretch for the Kohala Lighthouse reef. The 16-day window is basically a write-off for any decent surf. The whole run is plagued by a nasty, persistent cross-shore wind, with a strong ENE breeze blowing 15–25 mph almost every day, and that’s creating a lumpy, cross-chop mess on the surface. The water temp is sitting at 27°, about 0.6° above normal, so nothing extreme there—just your average tropical bath for this time of year.

The first few days (starting Wednesday, August 5th) are a total bust. Weak, short-period ENE swell around 4–5 ft, with periods of 5–9 seconds and combined energy values barely cracking 100–264 (weak to low moderate). The wind is cross all the way, and the wave comment is “poor surf conditions”—zero score across the board. That’s a dead start.

The pattern doesn’t let up. Thursday the 6th through to the weekend of the 9th–10th, the swell ticks up a bit, hitting 6–8 ft by Sunday (August 9th), with energy reaching 617 (moderate), but it’s all from the ENE, with the same cross-wind and a lumpy, choppy surface. No quality, no clean lines. It’s a kite surfer’s dream, not a surfer’s.

Midweek (12th–14th August) is more of the same: 4–7 ft ENE swell, period 6–7 seconds, energy in the 150–516 range, and the wind stays cross. The reef is exposed to the north, but the swell is coming from the wrong direction for it to really wrap in cleanly, and the wind is trashing what little shape there is.

The last few days (15th–20th August) see the swell pump up to 8–8 ft on the 15th, with energy over 800–950 (strong), but that’s still all short-period ENE windswell with a fresh cross-wind. The Saturday morning of the 15th has a 25 mph cross-shore, and the comment is “strong cross-shore with messy cross-chop.” That’s for experts only, and even then it’s a battle. The wind eventually eases a touch by the 20th, but it’s cross-on by then and the swell is dropping.

Honestly, there’s not a single standout in this window. The reef rarely breaks clean under these conditions, and the consistency is let down by the relentless wind. It’s a blank run, and that’s not unusual for this area when the trade winds lock in. Keep an eye on the forecasts—things can shift, but for now, I’d save the wax.

Rusty.

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